Great Things Come in Small Packages

New Blog

2010-09-12T16:58:00.001-07:00

I won't be writing on this blog anymore since I've started a new chapter in life....
You can now find OUR adventures at

http://brentnmettegriffith.blogspot.com/

Hope you enjoy it!

Mette Griffith

Wedding Dress for Sale

2010-09-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

Beautiful lace overlay. Tulip sleeves. Train with bustle option. White and temple ready.

Original price $900... selling for $600

If interested please email me at mette.lassen8@gmail.com. Thank you!

Less than 1 Week!!

2010-08-02T15:09:00.001-07:00

Till I marry this man!

I know, I KNOW, he's a babe. Everyone seems the need to tell me....but I KNOW!

This last week has been great. I came into to town last Thursday and have just been getting stuff ready! Had lots of doctor's appointments and other things to get done. Then thankfully because Walmart supports us getting married Brent was able to fly in 3 days earlier then he was supposed to. So he flew in on Thursday and we've been going going since he got here.

Thursday was mom's birthday so we all got together and weeded for her(all these pictures to come)
Friday was Brent's birthday, so we went to lunch with the family and went swimming! It was a beautiful day and I'm glad he didn't have to spend his big day up in Idaho by himself! We then watched Anne of Green Gables(at Brent's request...he won lots of brownie points with the women in my family!) and folded cutlery for the wedding.

Saturday was my wonderful Bridal Shower. It was sooooo nice and I am so grateful for everyone that pitched in. Mom has all those pictures too.

Saturday night Brent and I drove up to Santa Maria to spend time with all his family that has flown in for the wedding. It was a nice time sitting around and getting to know the Griffith Family. They are a lot of fun!

Today was Brent's Man Day... he went wake boarding and is going shooting. I've been sick so I slept in nice and late today and then Lisa took me out to lunch. It's a beautiful day here in Santa Maria. We have Tiana's baby shower tonight and then Brent and I will head back to Camarillo tomorrow morning.

It's gonna be a crazy couple of days, but I am SOOO excited for them. Friday's the BIG DAY!!

Yeah for marriage! I'll try to post pictures before I get too caught up in everything that's happening!

Spontaneous and Fun

2010-06-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

Check out the clouds. Aren't they amazing. The sky here in Idaho looks like a masterpiece when it's sunny outside.

Brent and I have been a lot busier since we've started work, which is hard, but it makes us realize that we shouldn't waste the time that we do have together. We have been trying to come up with things that are more involved I guess you could say. The weather has been so beautiful up here lately.

Brent at the 50 Lap Relay. He was a good sport and ran a great lap!

Some of our latest adventures:
Brent and I were both kinda having a rough day and were a little grumpy at each other. So Brent knew just what to do......Right before midnight, he dragged me out of the apartment on the premise that we were going on a walk... We ended up climbing a little hill, jumping a fence, and he throws me into the sprinkles which are freezing mind you! But it got us laughing. So I make him carry me and on our way back, he slips on mud and lands on me!!! I don't think we've laughed that hard in a while. It was a good feeling. I love that man of mine.

Today we went to Rigby Lake, just him and I. It was a beautiful day. The water wasn't too bad, but it was nice to just lay in the sun and Brent and I just convinced ourselves it was kinda like going to the beach : )
It was a good day.

Side Note...I got my dress : ) My room mate is a photography major, she's gonna do my bridals this week hopefully! So excited! Can't wait for the semester to end!!!

Another side note...Brent has gotten me really into Soccer....to the point where I'll watch it without him! We were disappointed with today's results....but this has been another part of our lives this month.

CALIFORNIA!

2010-06-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was able to find a cheap flight from Idaho Falls to LAX. It was only for about 2 1/2 days, but well worth it. I went because I felt that I was not as involved with wedding planning as I would like to be. So it was nice to be able to go to the fabric store and physically touch the material and see the color. All in all it was a very good weekend. I always love being in California, and feel so lucky that Brent wants to live there too. It's not even something we have to discuss, if we can, we are settling in California. It's funny how you get used to where you live, and I really don't think Idaho is that dreadful, but when you step off the plane and feel that moisture and feel the breeze and the sun...sigh...I love California.
Things accomplished while at home:
-Figured out bridesmaid situation(Thank you Mom!)
-Got photographer!!
-Got waxed(and loving it!)
- Planned flowers with the Two Hot Mamas
-Made food list(thank you Auntie Doris!)
-Figured out my hair(thank you Ditte)

I met the new dog, got to see the future in-laws, soaked up the sun next to the pool, ate In-N-Out(of course, it never ceases to amaze me how delicious the burgers are) went shopping with Else, though had no luck finding accessories

Big shout out to Mom and Dad for helping me out this weekend! I love you both so much and LOVE being close to all the family. Trine and Larry, Erik and Cristin : D--missed you, but see you soon!!! YAY!

It's happening... I'm getting married! Yahoo!!!!!

Date Night

2010-06-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

Brent and I are trying to go on more dates. And although we are busy and they sometimes lack creativity, the point is that we spend time together, not just sitting next to each other in our own separate worlds, but actually spending good quality time together. Last Friday I surprised Brent by writing on his car while he was in the gym. I know...welcome back to high school, but it was fun : ) I wrote "Will you go out with me tonight? Love your future wifey" (I had to clarify that it was from me so he wouldn't be skeptical that it was a fraud) Then inside I told him to be at my place dressed at ready for a specific time. I made dinner, then we went to Steffen's concert then I took him to see Robin Hood, which he was very anxious to see. All in all it was a great date!

Then last Friday Brent took me out : ) I loved it because I knew he actually planned it. We went to dinner at a pizza buffet place called Craigo's, which I really loved. They have great pizza plus a salad and pasta bar and dessert for pretty cheap. We enjoyed eating too much and just talking and enjoying one another. I can't take that boy anywhere though without him getting hit on! This time it was an old lady who mistook him for an employee...I snagged a cutie that's for sure. After dinner we went and saw a chick flick called Letters to Juliet(which I really liked). This is how I know he loves me; Brent dislikes chick flicks, but he knew I would like it so we went and he seemed to enjoy it which makes it so much better. After the movie we went to Latin night which they hold on campus. We haven't been all semester and Brent knows I love to go, so he brushed up on his salsa skills(also another sign that he loves me : ) so we could have fun dancing. He is a great sport and is improving quickly. A few of my friends from my dance team were there, it was good to see them as well. Sadly after dancing I had to kiss him goodbye so he could be a hard worker and drive down to Blackfoot to work all day Saturday. We had a good time together. Thanks Brent for being such a good date!

Hallelujah we got Jobs!

2010-06-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Brent and I to find jobs, We did!!!
God has definitely blessed us in our efforts to do his will and be where he wants and needs us to be. For now, we are to stay here in Rexburg.

Brent got a job at Walmart, after applying online, the next day he received a phone call for an interview and got the job! I know it's Walmart...but they are willing to work with him on his changing schedule( we need part time now, then 2 to 3 weeks off for the wedding and then full time, which they are willing to accommodate) He is also excited because he gets to work in the sporting goods department! Yay!!! Also, While I write this, Brent is in Blackfoot with a friend he works out with, who every Saturday works on his grandfather's ranch. It's good hard labor, but he's excited to make a little extra money. Thanks honey for working so hard!

Today Brent is taking apart a grain silo, like this one, except his is made out of wood.

I on the other hand got an on campus job. Thanks to my room mate Alex! Really, the only way to get an on-campus job is to have an "in" Alex is transferring to Provo so her job was up for grabs and she turned in my application for me. A couple days later I was sitting in orientation! I will be working as a tutor for the reading center. What I will be doing this semester is actually teaching a 1 credit module on "learning skills" It's really nice because the work is in 1 hour increments, I am able to go into work in between classes so I won't be having to work late, it's great. The only down side is that I need to keep looking for a job as mine ends when school ends. It is a rollover job, so as long as I'm going to school I'll have a job there, but when I'm off track I'm not able to. So I'll need to find a full time job for this fall.

But we're both very excited to start earning some money and being able to move forward with our plans! Next up....Find an Apartment!

I'M GETTING MARRIED!

2010-05-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

I know know... I'm a little behind!
His name is BRENT GRIFFITH, he's a stud, and I'm SO excited to be known as Mrs. Mette Griffith! Woo-hoo.

Here's the story....
We've been dating since the beginning of January. We joke that I just showed up on his door step(because I did : ) he's Steffen's roommate, but he refused to set me up! If I give any credit to Steffen it's for telling me that if I wanted Brent, I was gonna have to initiate it since I was off limits as the little sister... So I did!
I asked Brent to go swing dancing with me ad he graciously accepted, not being much of a dancer ; )
We had a good time and started hanging out pretty quickly. It all just fell nicely into place. We're not sure exactly when we started dating, but probably about 2 weeks after the start of school. Since then, it's evolved quickly, and now we are engaged!

Went snowboarding in Wyoming

So, I knew it was coming, since we went ring shopping and I knew he had gotten it, but I also knew he wanted to meet my dad to ask for permission. I was becoming rather impatient, but was glad it happened when it did. We only had a week for break between semesters. Steffen, Brent and I all took the 16 hour drive home and Brent stayed in Camarillo with me for a couple of days. I tried my best Sunday night to give him his space so he could easily talk to dad. Success! He asked, and he's proud to say, answered the "infamous" question correctly. That night Brent's parents came to pick him up and they met most of the family. It was fun to have us all together.

Us with the family at Faria Beach

A few days later, I drove up to Santa Marie to be with Brent and his family. Alright.....enough of a build up....here's the engagement story....

Thursday April 15, 2010---

Pismo Beach having lunch

It was a beautiful day in Santa Maria, and Brent and I ran a few errands before heading out to check out the area. The plan was we were gonna go have lunch at Pismo beach, go shopping for Brent and then meet his family in San Louis Obispo for the farmer's market. We had a great lunch at Pismo and then finished shopping early, so we started driving up the coast and stopped at this beautiful overlook called Spy beach. I have to admit....I thought it was gonna happen there. I was totally being a snoop and was looking in the pocket for a ring box. So we get out, are looking out over the coast, and Brent tells me he needed to go to the bathroom, so he leaves me sitting there for a few minutes, he comes back AND....doesn't do anything! So we get back in the car, and by then I thought, if he's not doing it now, it's not gonna happen today. So we keep driving and I TOTALLY set it up for him. I see a sign for Avela beach and tell him I'd like to see it, because I hear it's beautiful. So he kindly obliges ;) We get out and start walking towards the pier....

a little side note. I KNEW it wasn't going to happen on a pier because we both had nightmares that he dropped it in water.

So we're approaching the pier and i thought, for sure not here. but before we get to the water, he stops me and says "what's that?" and written in the sand said

"Mette, Will you Marry Me?" I turn around and he was on one knee with a ring in his hand. I didn't even let him finish before I said, Yes, YES! It was a great moment : ) It's fun to hear his side of it and how he planned to fake me out, and how his parents were still writing it in the sand as we were approaching the beach.

I know, my hair's in my face, wish we had gotten more pictures of it...but was too caught up in the moment....

Here are a few pictures that his Dad snapped from hiding ; ) Thanks Joe and Lisa for working so hard! It was great.

After the proposal we headed up to San Louis Obispo to have dinner with his family.

NO SNOW!

2010-03-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

The snow is almost gone! You can actually see the streets and the dead grass everywhere!
It's interesting because I'll see pictures of campus- and of course they always show pictures of campus in the summer- I don't recognize it!

I'm happy to say- I actually enjoyed the winter here...granted it was cold, but the snow really doesn't bother me-minus the fact when you're running late, so you decide to drive- only to find your windshield frozen over....that's a bust!
But other than that- I really didn't mind it! For all my danish friends: there is not such thing as bad weather- but bad clothing!

I am sad I didn't get to go snowboarding more....such is being poor!

I have to say I am SO excited for the semester to be over- mostly for the fact that we get to come home for a few days! Woo-hoo! My room mate is going home after this semester as she will be off track- so she's been counting down...I find I'm starting to join her- thought trying to resist as it'll only make it go slower! People at home- BE EXCITED! I'M COMING HOME SOON!!!

Extravadance!

2010-03-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

So...as most of you have seen...Steffen has graciously put my dance videos on facebook, and lots of people have watched and made nice comments about my natural talent(...joking!), our amazing costumes (with the long shorts intact) and how much make up I have on!

But really! I had a blast. It was so good to be apart of a dance team again! My technique is definitely on the rusty side, but I love it just as much as I always have! And it is SO nice not having to drive an hour to go dancing!

I have in my mind, officially changed my major- I am now a .........actually I have no idea!!!! I am so stuck! I am considering three options
1. Accounting
2. Nursing
3. Health Science

I need insight! I am taking an intro to accounting class next semester as well as a nutrition class to see what it is I would enjoy more...but I've always had in the back of my mind being a nurse...I think I would be a good nurse! and I would like it I think! But I don't want to HAVE to work to keep it up....Anyone has any insight, I would LOVE to hear it!

Other school plans.... I changed to a dance minor so that I can continue to dance! and I want to take some music classes...just for my own personal gain.

I have succored Brent into taking a dance class with me! Which I am pretty excited about. But i think because of that, he's trying to succor me into co-ed softball or some other sport.... what we do for the ones we love : ) As I write this it makes me smile that this is what we are deciding right now in life haha.....I love being a college student! I have a feeling graduating from college will be a million times worse then graduating from high school. Once you're out...you just wanta go back! So I'm soaking it all in for now cuz I know it won't last forever!

Soon enough we're gonna have to decide much more important things then which co-ed sport to join..... I'm gonna enjoy these simple decisions for now : )

I LIVE IN IDAHO!

2010-02-22T09:41:00.000-08:00

Alrighty, so I have been given a hard time by quite a few people that I haven't written on here in a few months, and it's been nagging at me that I need to...so Here is what I have been up to since I've been back from Europe...

I came home and went back to work so that I could afford to go to school in January since I had spent most of it in Europe!
Christmas was great! I got lots of things for my apt and being a college student!

January 2nd, Steffen and I packed up my car(and boy was it full!) and headed up to Rexburg Idaho. It's about a 15 hour drive! But we enjoyed each other's company and it really wasn't too bad of a drive.

We got in late that night(saturday night) and I moved into my apt. All of my roommates were already in bed, I was very nervous. My room mate Jenn answered the door and I did not get the friendliest vibe from her! It also made me nervous because I had been put in the same room with the OCD girl in our apt (to explain, my room mate Nicole had sent us all an email telling us that she was slightly OCD and wanted to have a room mate who was clean, ect...so no one wanted to room with her haha) but I was the last girl in our apt so I got put with her. Which we all joke now, because she is an amazing room mate and Jenn got stuck with the not so amazing room mate! I got really lucky! Love you Nicole and Jenn!

Well the next day was Sunday. so we went to our ward. I went with my friend Stephanie Bork (we're neighbors) and Steffen, and as I sat there looking at all my room mates sitting together, I realized that I needed to make an effort to make friends with them because it would be really easy to just stick with Stephanie and Steffen, well boy am I glad that I did. I have the most amazing room mates! I love them all and we get along so well!

My first tostada trial...I lit the stove on fire...we had to use the fire extinguisher....

Anyway...Other things that have happened(sorry this is kind of all over the place)

I have 2 callings- FHE Coordinator, and Relief Society Pianist
Classes I am taking- Money Management, American Foundations, Book of Mormon, Ballet, Ballroom technique, Modern and then I am on the Ballroom Dance team. As you can see...I dance A LOT! But I am loving it(most days : )

As most of you know, I have boyfriend!
His name is Brent Griffith, He is Steffen's room mate and what a babe! : ) He's a great guy! Just got back from his mission in Spain, is from Santa Maria, CA. Well those are all the logistics without going into all the mushy stuff of why I like him so much : ) But he is wonderful and we have LOTS of fun together! He's gone dancing with me a bunch and he is picking it up pretty well! I wish I was a better teacher! He is a really good sport!

He's also learning how to snowboard...but he's basically a natural and will soon be better then I am.

Alright, well that's it for now! Again, sorry this was all over the place! A lot has happened in the last 2 months and I'm trying to remember all the things that have been going on!

Let me know if there is anything else you want to know about!
Thanks for caring!
Love you All

Paris and The End

2009-12-31T02:36:00.000-08:00

So...I wrote this post on my flight coming home from Germany, but never posted it as I wanted to make sure I had the names of places correct, so now that I've been home over a month! I'll post it up. I know it's long over due, but it's the tail end of my trip.... Now that that adventure is over...it's time to start a new one. This Saturday Steffen and I are driving up ti Rexburg Idaho to start both of our first semesters there! It'll be yet another wonderful adventure!

Well, I am sadly very behind on updating my blog! It's been a crazy
last 2 weeks.
First I went to Paris with Anna which was an awesome experience. She
spoiled me and took good care of me. We had a lot of fun and many
laughs. Thank you Anna and Craig SO much!
We got there Saturday afternoon and the first thing we did was head to
the arc de triumph. It was big and fun to see. The best place to view
the arc is from the middle of the street, so as you cross the street
you see lots of people taking pictures. After the arc we headed to the
Eiffel tower. We went all the way to the top! But mind you it's a LOT
of standing and waiting in long lines to get up here. You stand in
line to get your ticket and then that takes you to the second floor
then you get off the elevator and wait in another long line to get to
the very top! Anna was very brave, as we headed up to the top I
mentioned that this is not a place for those with a fear of heights and
she tells me she is! I would not have done that if I was scared, but
she was determined to do it! So we did. It was beautiful to see all of
Paris. You really are very high up! After the tower we found a cute
cafe where we had lunch which we paid WAY too much for tea that we
didn't drink due to the caffeine. So we paid a lot for hot water and
lemon! After dinner we headed back to the tower to see it all lit up
at night.
Sunday we went to church where they provided headsets for translation.
We were lucky someone came right when we were trying to find it,
because I was in a big building behind some gates, we would have never
found it otherwise.
After that we headed to the musee de orsay. It was a beautiful museum
which housed many very beautiful pieces of art. We saw van gogh and
Monet and many others. A tip: we bought our tickets at the FNC near
the arc. It saved us from waiting in a long line at the museum. I got
in for free as well because I had an international student card, so
that was very nice! After that we took a brisk walk next to the river.
Monday we went to the louvre. Which was amazing! The thing that saved
me from being extremely overwhelmed in there was prior to going I
researched what hay had and what I wanted to see. It's neat to just
wander, but it's better to have a destination and you can find neat
things on the way. I'm pretty sure I saw most of the really famous
things. We did the audio tour, which is worth it for that museum!
After the louvre we saw Notre Dame which is huge, but nothing compared
to St Peters church in Rome.
Tuesday we headed to Versailles. It was quite an awesome sight! But did not quite have the
grandeur we were hoping for, but still something worth seeing for
sure. We walked through the palace first, doing the audio tour. My
favorite room was probably the hall of war, you start on the left and
go through chronologically the wars that France has won. You go all
along this big hall, it was neat to listen to. After the palace we
rented a golf cart, we had SO much fun on that. We rented it for an
hour and did their route that takes you out to the homes where Marie
Antoinette lived and such, but we just drove past, when we go back we
then hopped on the tram to take us back out there so we could tour
them. If we had done it with the golf cart it would have been too
expensive since they rent them hourly. We then had a nice dinner at
the cafe they have there.
Wednesday we just explored. We started out on the avenue, you know...
"the avenue" where they have all the high fashion shops live cartier
and louis votton, ect. We ended up walking past the opera house and
down to the place de concord. We then got on a train and found the
famous "au pied de concord" known for having the best french onion
soup. It was so good! We had a bowl each, which was so delicious and
shared a plate of escargo, which I actually liked. And then I had a
Creme brûlée(which I have to say, Doris' is better!) but all in all
an amazing restaurant, definitely recommend it, it's a little pricey,
but not too bad. We ate for like 30 euro I believe. So not bad at all.
Then we got on our train and headed back to Germany.
Thursday was a packing day for me. I packed all of my things expect
what I would need to go back up to Denmark.
I had an extra few days, and I had been invited back there, so Friday
I got on a train and stayed until Wednesday.
I had a wonderful time there, ate a LOT of good food and met some
wonderful people.
Denmark has a very special place in my heart now. I spent almost half
of my Europe trip there and really loved it. Maybe I'm prejudice, my
heritage coming from there and being there for so long, but my
favorite memories and time this whole trip was spent there in Denmark.

Well, I am on a flight from Germany to North Carolina as I write this.
I am so excited to be coming home, and this flight could not be taking
any longer due to my impatience!
It really doesn't feel like I've been gone for 2 months, but we'll see
what I think when I get home!
I have a 2 hour lay over before getting on another flight to LAX! Home
sweet home!
Thanks for following me on my journey! I'll have to post pictures later!
See you all soon!

My Backpacking Trip- Very short version!

2009-11-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

My friend Sarah came to Frankfurt last Sunday where we hung out for 2 days before I packed up and we headed off on a train to Vienna. We had a wonderful time there where we stayed with a young couple that she knew from school. It was very nice of them to have us in their small apartment. We saw quite a few things (thanks Else for all your suggestions!) We saw all of them, but we didn't get to see an opera. We saw the opera house, the belvedere museum, the national library, a few famous platz, and open market, some churches. My all time favorite was the Schonbrunn where it was BEAUTIFUL, absolutly beautiful. Sarah and I spent an hour just walking up to the edge of the gardens, not even around the whole thing. It was really rainy that day though, so my pictures aren't completely clear, but the skyline was amazing and the palace was absolutly breathtaking.

Friday we headed off on another train to Schaffhausen, Switzerland, which is literally on the border of Germany and Switzerland. We were put up in the dorms of a local college there where Sarahs brother had stayed, so it was very nice and cozy. The family that we were going to visit were friends of Sarah's brother and they were very good to us. We went and saw the rhein falls, a castle, a cute little town called Rhein am Stein I believe, and were fed authentic swiss food. My favorite was a dinner called Raclette. It's kind of like fondue where you melt your own cheese and put it over potatoes. It was very good, and the family was so nice.

Sunday we went to Italy, where Sarah lives, and a friend I made from Denmark flew in and met us in Florence. It was so nice of Sarah to house us and I really enjoyed being with her. I spent some time in Rome and Florence, and because of rainy weather didn't get to hike the cinque terras which I really wanted to do...I'll have to save that for next time. I loved Rome and saw a lot of awesome things...the Spanish stairs, the Trevi fountain, The Sistine Chapel which is part of the vatican museum. Saw the Vatican, St. Peter's Church, the Colleseum, saw the Michael Jackson movie, which of course I loved haha. In Florence I saw the duomo, hiked to the top of this mountain/hill that overlooked the city of Florence, saw some really neat churches, beauitful bridges, lots of statues and ate some AMAZING pizza, pasta and gelato. All in all a WONDERFUL 2 weeks. I got on the night train last night to come to Frankfurt, I took the night train as it was a 12 hour train ride and that made it go faster. I was cheap and just reserved a seat this time instead of a bed, so I slept on and off for a couple hours. It wasn't that bad, definitely not the best night sleep I've ever had, but not too bad.
I gotta pack now for Paris in the morning, but I'll post pictures later if I have time.
Next up...Paris

Odense...Home of H.C Andersen

2009-10-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, Inge and Finn took me to a party for a woman that they knew, it was a 60th bday party and it was fun with a lot of good food. I met some new people and even ran into one I had met at church in Aalborg.

I believe it was also on Saturday, Inge and I went to the Hans Christian Andersen museum. It was a very nicely put together museum, where you got to read all about his life on this big life line they had all around the museum, it also included his home where he was supposed to have lived. Of all museums, I'm glad I went to that one.

Sunday, I went to church with the Kreibergs, where Inge had arranged with young man who had just come home off his mission from England to translate for me. He was very nice, and did a wonderful job translating. He then took me up to the sunday school class for the teenagers, where he was giving the lesson, and proceded to do it in both Danish and English.

After Relief Society, I was invited to come to a Young single adult activity on Tuesday. I said I would come if I was free. After church, we drove to Eskgov Castle. We knew it would be closed for the season, but thought we could at least walk the grounds...no such luck, we got there only to realize we couldn't see a thing! I got this picture as we were driving away.

After the castle, we drove to a small city on the waterfront. It was neat to just walk around and see the little town, even though hardly any one was there!

Monday, we went to the Carl Neilsen Museum, which was free. He was a composer from Odense. I had never heard of him before, but apparently some of his music is rather famous. After that, we walked around a bit, and went to Knud's church, which was beautiful, and where Knud himself is lying for all to see in the lower level of the church. He was killed in another church pretty close to the place he know lays. I just love churches, They are just so beautiful.

Tuesday, Brian, Caroline's husband, was nice enough to go with Inge and I to Koldinghus, a big castle in Kolding that had burned down and then was rebuilt. We were all a little disappointed with the lack of things to see, but either way it was a beautiful drive and a nice day. After we crossed the "little belt" the body of water between Fyn and Jylland, we stopped and walked around another cute little town where we ate lunch right on the waterfront.

That night, I went to FHE, and had a very good time. The people were so friendly and I met a missionary couple who lived in Sacramento, so I had a nice chat with them about California, we had a lesson, played a rhythm type game, and then played pool for a couple of hours. All in all, I'm so glad I went and had a wonderful time.

Wednesday, Kristian, Inge and Finn's grandson, took me to Copenhagen. We had a wonderful time and saw a lot of things. On our way there we stopped at Rosenkilde, where the royals are buried. Then when we got into Copenhagen, we started by walking around, we found the parliament building and then ended up walking all the way down to the little mermaid, which we found out is quite a walk! But we found her non-the-less!

After that we went and saw the castle, Amalienborg and then found some city bikes and rode around. We found the Vor Frue church, where the statue of Christ is and all his apostles. I am so glad that we went and saw that, it really was beautiful. And the organist was practicing, so that added to the neat atmosphere.

We walked around some more and tried to find this one church, but couldn't find it. Kristian then took me to see the temple. After that, we were rather hungry, so we headed back. Inge fed us a really good meal and then I slept... I had a wonderful with Kristian, he was a great guide and a lot of fun!

Thursday, I went to school with Caroline, where I got to learn about how the Danes do school. It was very interesting to see. After that I hung out with that same, nice young man who translated for me on Sunday. He came over for lunch, where Inge fed us intirely too much delicious food. He then took me around downtown Odense, the walking street, Forest lake, and a few pretty gardens. Again, we had dinner with Inge and ate sooo much food I didn't think I'd ever be hungry again. We went and saw "Fame" where they have the Danish Substitles. I then went home, packed and went to sleep to get ready to catch my train early the next morning.

Friday morning, I caught my train, and didn't have any problems getting back to Frankfurt. The last 2 hours I had a floor seat though because I didn't bother to make a reservation. But it was all right, considering how many people were all over the place, I had a fairly decent seat on the ground.

Saturday, I did laundry and got ready for Sarah to come from Italy. Sarah is a friend of mine from High school, we played water polo together, but haven't spoken in two years. We found out each other was in Europe through facebook, and long story short, we are going to be traveling together for the next 2 weeks.

Sarah got here Sunday morning, we went and picked her up from the airport. Anna was so good and kind to drive the hour and 1/2 out there, even though it is terrifying to drive in Germany. I am so grateful for her. We went to church and then I took Sarah around walking along the Main river and just around the city a bit.

Today, Monday, I took Sarah around again and saw all the tourist spots. It was a little cold today, but all in all a good day. We came home and packed ( I have to say I am very proud of my light packing skills...I usually really overpack!)My back will thank me I think. Now I am catching up on all this before I start another adventure tomorrow. I should get some sleep as we are waking up and leaving at 5 in the morning. We are catching the 7 hour train ride to Vienne, where I am very excited to go!

I'll keep posted as much as possible!

Till Next time!

Week In Skagen

2009-10-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Night, Freddie, Jette, Fear and I all headed out to Skagen, where as I have previously mentioned, they own a "summer" house there. It is truly beautiful there and it literally feels like you are standing at the top of the world.

On Monday, Jette took me to a church(On our bikes of course), that because of the big sand drift they had there in Skagen the whole body of the building had been covered in sand, so all that is left is the tower, so we climber the tower and you could see the skyline of Skagen.

Tuesday, Freddie took me to the Skagen museum. It was really neat. In the early 1900s the town was mostly lived in by artists and writers. It was a trend I think to come live here and it "inspired" a lot of beautiful art. It was neat to be in the very place where people painted such lovely things and to be able to learn a little about their lives as well.
One of my favorites, painted by Michael Ancher.

Wednesday, Jette took me to Michael and Anne Ancher's (famous painters) home, it was lovely and neat to see how they used to live.

Thursday, I got up early and walked down to the beach to see the sunrise, where I also got a lovely view of old nude women...It was an experience. Also that day I picked up my souveniers, including my "I love Skagen" t-shirt that I paid way too much for.

Thursday evening we went back to Aalborg, then Friday morning we headed off to Odense. Freddie and Jette were nice enough to take me down there.

On our way there we stopped at Freddie's neices home, Gitte. She fed us an amazing meal and we got to chat. It was very nice to meet them and get to know them a little. I am so glad that Freddie arranged for us to go.

We got to Odense about 4 in the afternoon, where Inge had prepared us some hot chocolate and wonderful dessert. It was very hard for me to say good bye to Freddie and Jette after living with them for 2 weeks and getting to know them. I loved being with them so much and am so grateful that they let me come.

Next...Odense

The Father Land

2009-10-24T03:05:00.001-07:00

For the last 3 weeks I have been in Denmark, where my father was born.
Since I haven't updated at all, I'm gonna break it up into weeks, so it's not blog overload.

Destination: Aalborg
Visiting: Dad's Cousin Freddie and his wife Jette
Duration: 2 Weeks

Freddie is retired, so he was very kind to show me all around Aalborg.
We went to a Viking museum, There were buriel sights, next to a really nicely done museum, which was very interesting, my favorite part is that all the Danes pronounce it wikings! I have to laugh everytime I hear it or say it that way.

So I got there on Friday morning after my eventful night train experience. I was greeted after a long nap by Freddie's kids and their kids. It was so nice to meet them all, and their kids were adorable. They mostly spoke Danish, but were good about including me in their conversations. We had a very Danish meal for dinner, I am blanking on the name of the pork, but it's the one we have for Christmas every year with the crispy skin. Well we had that with Red Cabbage and Potatoes, definitely reminded me of home. Saturday Jette took me out driving, it was rather gray and rainy, so we just drove around the city and towards a little town called Nibe. There is a marina there which was fun to see.

Sunday, since it was General Conference and there was no church, Freddie and I went to Skagen to spend the night. He had made plans to work with his neighbor on their fence. We took a long, scentic route to get there, hoping to drive on the beach part of the way, but it was SO stromy and windy that we couldn't. It was funny though, because it was a technical street, it had street signs and all.

We made it to Skagen and I fell in love. Even though it was stormy, it was beautiful. We walked along the south beach a bit, and then drove up to the top called Grenen where the most recent lighthouse is set. (There are 3 lighthouses in Skagen) It is also where the Skagerrak and the Kattegat seas collide. We couldn't walk up to the exact point because the beach was non existant, Freddie says its usually a wide beach, but because of the storm it was covered with water.

We had a cozy evening reading and drinking tea next to the fire, it was lovely and very hygge (a new favorite word). Monday we rode around the town on our bicycles. It was a little cold and windy, but a very neat way to see the town. We saw the first lighthouse, which was lit by coals. Then we rode around some other touristy spots, famous people's homes, ect. At the beginning of the 20th century, Skagen was a very artsie place, it was occupied by either poor fisherman or rich artists and writers.
Me at the harbor.

On Tuesday, Freddie took me driving south of Aalborg. We went to Rebild National Park where they have the monument for the mormon immigrants. I found Bedstamor and Bedstafars stone which was a neat moment for me. The monument was beautiful.

After that we drove around the forest area. We stopped and went on a small "hike" to go see the Store Blakilde "Small Blue Spring" On our way home we drove around looking for little castles and such.

Wednesday, we went back to Skagen where, while Freddie was working on the fence, I rode around the town and walked along the pedestrian area, things are EXPENSIVE in Denmark! We had lunch with Freddie's neighbor Finn. He owns a hotel, which is really neat and different. It's got that hygge feel to it, all the rooms (there are 5 I think) all had a different theme, that Finn personally came up with and decorated. I wish I had some pictures because it was really neat.

Thursday Jette and Freddie took me around Downtown Aalborg, where I got to see some cool old buildings and Aalborg's most narrow street, which, although it doesn't look it, is in fact a real street.

There is an underground musuem that we went into. In the middle of the shopping area, there is an elevator on the sidewalk, you pay for it, and go down a few stories and there is an underground museum, they found artifacts underneath all these shops and decided to leave it all down there. It was small, but interesting.

We ended our downtown tour with being rained out.
Jette and I waiting in the pouring rain for Freddie with the car...by the time he got to us, it had stopped...of course!

Friday and Saturday I just entertained myself, walking around and hanging out with Christine and her family, and we watched Morten's two boys for the weekend, they were so adorable. And although We couldn't understand eachother,we had a blast together.

Sunday I went to church by myself, and was so happy I did, A nice young man named Mark, who had just returned from him mission from England offered to translate for me. That was the blog I posted earlier.
After church, we headed off to Skagen for the week.

Next...Week in Skagen

A bit more Personal

2009-10-11T05:04:00.000-07:00

Today I went church here in Aalborg. Freddie knew where the building was, as he used to live near it, and thanks to lds.org I found out what time they met. So at 10:00 we got in the car, and I went to church alone. Immediatly after walking in, people were already shaking my hand, saying hello to me. People were so kind and nice.
When I walked into the meeting, I sat in a row by myself, but there was a nice young family in front who quickly made me feel welcome. They spoke english so well, without an accent I had to ask if they were born and raised in Denmark. The husband, who I don't remember, it was like Clarce or something, was from Odense and we quickly made the connection that the high concilman on the stand was married to Trine Kreiberg. Such a small world.
I was then welcomed by a young man, looked about my age named Mark. He was very kind and offered me to sit with him so he could translate for me.

Now, this is where God is good. : ) This morning, I was on my knees asking Heavnly Father to really help me feel the spirit and to somehow be able to truly understand the testimonies that people were bearing. Well in my own mind, I was thinking of those stories where God helps people hear when they are deaf, or see when they are blind for a short time, so I was more or less thinking that he would help me understand Danish while at church. But I quickly learned that Heavenly Father gives others a chance to serve, and so Mark became my interpretor. He really was an answer to prayer. He translated everything for me and I really got to partake of the spirit.
I don't usually cry during testimony meetings, well I'll cry during others, but not when I bear mine. Well I felt the spirit so strong that I got up. I didn't realize that Mark had followed me up and was goingn to translate my testimony for the audience. I cried through the whole thing!!! Aw, but I couldn't help myself. The spirit there was so strong and I bore my testimony about missionary work and how because my bedstamor and bedstafar accepted the gospel and immigrated to the USA, now 3 more genertations have been blessed with having the gospel in our lives. And I couldn't help but feel the sweet spirit that was in the place where my grandparents accepted this great truth in their lives and for that I am eternally grateful. I also said thank you to "my new friend" for helping me understand so that I could truly partake in the meeting and the spirit being shared.
It was so nice to stand up there and do that. Something I may not get to do again.

We then went to Sunday School, I think it was like gospel essencials, but Mark gave the lesson so, a girl about my age, 21, Michelle translated that for me. I met the sister missionaries there as well who were both from Utah, and there was a couple missionary that were from the Bay area in California. It was so nice to meet so many wonderful and loving people.

Michelle also translated for me in Relief Society. Also a small world, Mark served his mission in London and just got back 6 weeks ago, and said he knew Kyle Malan.

So all in all, it was an amazing experience to be able to go to church here and be apart of such a wonderful and spirit filled meeting.

I am so glad and really am eternally grateful for my heritage here. I am grateful that Bedstamor and bedstafar made the sacrifice to accept the gospel and come to the States with literally nothing, not even speaking the language. Being here in a place where I do not understand, I can only imagine what it would be like, where no one spoke your language. I am lucky to be here in a time where almost everyone speaks my language and we can communicate with one another. I love this gospel and for the automatic community it has for each of us, to feel so welcome and loved and meet new friends. I thank my parents for being the examples that they are for me. I am grateful for the trials that I have endured, or rather put myself through, for they have made me so much stronger of a person. The kind of person that reads her scriptures on her on, that studies and prays, and that goes to church even with no one else, not even sure that I will be able to understand. I know God hears me and loves me. Jesus Christ IS my savior, individually.

Thank you Mom, Dad, and my whole family, without whom, I may not have been the person that I am today. I love you all and miss you on this lovely Sunday.

Going to Denmark

2009-10-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

Obviously not me and my companions, but an idea of how small the space is.
10.01.09

Today I packed and got ready for my 13 hour train ride up to Aalborg, Denmark. Aalborg is where my father was born in 1950. A year before his parents decided to immigrate to the United States so that they could be married in the Temple. My father was 1 when his father Hilmar, "carried him across the Atlantic Ocean." I am here visiting my father's cousin, Freddie who, although his many travels, has lived here all his life.

I do not know Freddie and his family very well, but I am so thankful and excited that they have agreed to let me stay with them "for as long as I'd like." Freddie was just visiting in the states though not too long ago, so I was able to visit with him quite a bit.

Around 21:45 Anna and I were sitting at the Frankfurt Sud waiting for my train to come and pick me up. As we were sitting there talking, the man next to us, got up and walked away, as if to say "you are cothering me" and my first thought was...I am going to sit next to that man on the train, I just know it.

Well at around 22:10 I yelled good bye to Anna as she ran off the train before she got stuck going to Denmark with me. I looked into my compartment, only to find that A) they are very small and B) they are all men. Yes indeed, it is my fate, to never make a friend that is a girl.
And then, low and behold, who walks in, but Mr. Irritated. I knew it, He was going to be next to me in the train, and boy was I right!
My Compartment, we found out very quickly, was a very international one...let me introduce you to the gang:
First we have Peter, a friendly, and yes I did say friendly South German who travels around training horses and their owners. He did not say a lot, but he was very pleasant when he did speak.
Second: Erik, a young man from Sweden, I didn't catch his age, but was in his 20s, he was going home for a break from his studies in South Germany. He too didn't say a lot, but was very nice and we did share a lot of looks that said very clearly "What are these men talking about" Or I would make a sarcastic remark, and only he would catch it and he always seemed to agree.
Next is Mojo(not really his name, but it was something of the sort). Mojo had an identity crisis, he was from a country I had never heard of, though claimed to be Danish, even though he was clearly Middle Eastern, and lived in France. He was a very talkative and highly opinionated theologist and muslim. Mojo wanted to make the World his family and said a lot of hocky things, though very kind, a little overwhelming.
Then we had Ed (again not his name) who was Mr. Irritated. He was a scientist who wished that as the world became more educated, Religion would become less and less necessary. As it really plays no purpose but to make people feel better because they believe in "nice things" Ed and I had a 'nice' little discussion about religion and what it really means to people. From then on, I was deemed Ms. Religion. I also spent the night being lectured to about how I must not really know what I believe or want because I am only 20.
After defending myself that although I was only 20, I knew that this was the truth, and bore my testimony to a whole car full of unbelievers and 'educated' beings, after defending my age and my knowledge and pointing out that there is no "grown up stage where you know everything" I can know, just as much as they what is right, and what I know to be true. After that I kindly stepped out of the conversation and got lost in the mumbo jumbo that Ed and Mojo were fighting about Muslim beliefs.

It was a rather interesting train ride to say the least. And I really hope that I get major brownie points in heaven for going against just a hard crowd : ) I did feel very confident in myself though, and felt pity for these men, who clearly just had no idea what they lacked in their lives.

I could tell they were both good men and probably good fathers, but how sad to be so misguided by your own mind and lack of faith or hope in something more.

It was about 2:00 by the time we all settled down and went to sleep. I got to sleep for about 2 hours before being awakened by a man who needed to see our passports. Then in another hour and a half, wakened by Ed leaving.
By that point it was about time for me to get off and I was nervous that I was going to miss my stop, so I got up and moved into a standing room where I met a nice Indian man who was getting off at my same stop. By the time I got off the train, it was 7:15. and freezing out side.

Luckily for me, Anna had showed me how to look for the next train on these type of time posters. So I found the platform and waited, I ended up helping a man who didn't speak English or Danish get to the right train. Then in another 15 minutes, I had to get off to switch trains, and that train was late, so again, it being very cold, finally the train came and then, to my good fortune, it was not going to contiue on to Aalborg like it was supposed to, so I had to get off and wait again for a new train, But I finally made it, only about a half hour late.

I got to Freddie's house, brushed my teeth, and ate some traditional danish, open-faced sandwiches, drove around the city a bit with Freddie, went to a viking museum, came home and slept for 2 hours!

...next up, Getting caught in the rain.

France

2009-10-02T02:51:00.000-07:00

So, I need to write about France before I write to you about my
current adventure... Going to Denmark

9.26.09

On Saturday morning we woke up about 7:00 and took off for Colmar, a
city in the Alsace Valley. From my readings( and Anna's) it seemed
like a small type village that you walked around, well it took us, I
believe, 4 hours to get there and we realize this is no small village,
but quite a good sized city.
So lucky for us, on our entry into Colmar we found what Anna really
wanted to see... The miniature version of the Statue of Liberty, which
was made in honor of the man who designed our Statue of Liberty, he
was from Colmar.

So we made Craig take our picture in front of it and decided that was
about all we wanted to see there.
We then continued on to a small village called Ribeauville where there
was a stork and otter rescue center. So we went there, and probably
would have learned a lot about storks, except that it was all in
French. But non-the-less they were beautiful birds to watch and a
pretty place to walk around.

After that, we headed to haut-koenigsbourg... A castle that over looks the
Alsace Valley. It was a beautiful castle built by one of Germany's
emperors. Alsace Valley has been a fighting grounds between Germany
and France for a long time, as Germany claims the mountains to be the
borderline and France claims the Rhine River, so there is a lot of
cultural mixing going on.

Anyway, this castle was huge and beautiful and probably my favorite part of the journey.

Then it was back to Germany, but through the Black Forest, which was so
incredibly beautiful, from the forest trees, to the acres of grass and
flowers to the beautiful and big houses. I loved the Black Forest. We
ended up in Triberg, home of the largest coo koo clock. They hand carve
and sell thousands of clocks, if I had 500+ euros to spare, I'd get one,
because they are quite marvelous.

Also in Triberg we ate dinner, which was a delicious gulash soup and
yummy apple streudal.
Well that was my weekend adventure.

Next up... Denmark.

September 24th

2009-09-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

9.24.05

Today I just went. I had a few places I wanted to see and then I was gonna roam around and find them when I find them.

I started the day with getting on the U bahn at Dornbusch(where I get off to go home) and took it to Hauptwache got on another U bahn heading to Alte Oper where I got off to see the Opera House. It really is beautiful. Took pictures of that for a bit and just sat and enjoyed.

I was about to head towards Kaiserdom, which is a big gothic looking cathedral but I instead found a botanical garden going through the heart of a bunch of skyscapers. A littl FYI: Frankfurt is known as the finacial hub of the world. I walked through to find myself at a cool looking bank (and as I am writing this on our way to France, the name escapes me) in the Willy-Brandt-Platz, where they have a big € in the middle of the Platz. I then got on the bahn and got of at Romer.

Romerberg was tourist heaven! They, WE were everywhere! It's the "historical focal point of the city". It's a beautiful square as far as architecture and cobblestone streets goes. I was even comfortable enough to trade picture taking with people. I found the Kaiserdom. But since I got that one mixed up with another one, I didn't go in, which I need to go back and do.

I meant to find St. Pauls cathedral, but went the wrong direction and ran into the Main River. Which was ok with me. Took pictures of a really cool church, crossed the pedestrain bridge- Eiserner Steg- and sat on the side of the river with the swans. It was beautiful and I got really lucky with the weather. I couldn't have asked for a better day. I also was lucky enough to sit there when all 3 bell towers in the area went off for the hour in great harmony together. From that side of the river I saw the tower of St. Pauls Cathedral, so I set off to find it.

On my way to it I ran into a festival of some kind and decided to take part and buy myself a crepe. The crepe man was very abliging and translated the menu and the MANY options for my crepe. I opted for one with strawberries, bananas and nutella. It was huge and delicious! I sat at a table and ate my crepe while listening to a man sing in German. It was a lot of fun being in the midst of it. It was situated In a cute little square right outside of Romerberg.

After the festival I kept walking and found St. Pauls. And as I said previous, I had mixed it up with the Dom. So... It wasn't as exciting as I was expecting, but it was interesting to walk through and see pictures of what it looked like after the airades during the war. It was one of the first buildings rebuilt because it represented the desire for democracy and the unity of Germany. It's not used as a church so much as a political house.

I ended up making a big circle as I ended up on the Zeil near Hauptwache and then headed down a street called Hasengasse where there was supposed to be a big indoor market, and boy was it big. It was fun to walk through and try some cheeses and meats, oh mom I totally thought of you, I tried some delicious pesto and bruschetta. I did how ever try a few things that looked good but were not. I had to make my way back to the cheeses to get the taste of wasbi peas and coffee beans out of my mouth.

I headed home after that down the Zeil, where I was on Thursday, you could tell it was Friday, there was twice as many people there.

When I arrived home we had a German dinner, braut, sausage sandwich. It was very good. Then Anna and I went to a Green and Gold dance, I had no idea what that meant, so people in my generations...it's a formal church dance. From 14 years and up people dress in prom like dresses and the men in tuxes and they couple dance! It was so neat to see all these couples of seriously all ages dancing together, wether it be foxtrot or a swing, they were doing it.

I asked a boy where they learned and he said it's very special to the church, I guess at the clubs or discos they dance like in the states but they just teach eachother. And all learn. I thought it was really cool. I got asked to dance even though I was sorely under dressed, by a boy who didn't know English. I picked up the way they were dancing fairly well though. I didn't realize Anna as suck a dancing queen :) she was getting down. Oh funny- they had a live band which was really good, but almost all of their songs were English and not just English, but things like Grease and Sweet Home Alabama, American songs! There were like 2 songs that were in German.

Well that was my day, packed full of fun and new, defintley new.

Thanks everyone for your nice comments! We're on our way to France, so I'm gonna enjoy the scenery.

First of MANY Europe posts

2009-09-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

Prepare yourself. For the next 2 months this is becoming my Europe, Travel blog.

First 2 Days:
9.22-23.09

9.22.09
The 22nd I left my house at 7:00 am to make my 11:00 am flight...lesson about being at the airport on time...LEARNED!
Made my flight, and lucky enough got to sit window with no one next to me.
I then had to run to my next flight. I sat middle isle with no one next to me, but still couldn't fall asleep even though I'm small enough to lie down. It really did stink. After having a farely good chicken dinner and watching Angels and Demons. Trying to listen to the "meditation" chanel on the little tv. I finally remembered that I had Benedryl in my purse. So I took it and shortly after I fell fast asleep. Since I only got to sleep for about 2 hours, When I woke up, my first thought was that I wish the flight was longer...apparantly I was not completly coherent.

Baggage Claims:
The tension is really high in baggage claims. Everyone is waiting around this tunnel holding our breath waiting to see our luggage coming around the corner. As you see people grabbing their luggage and silently you start freaking out that your luggage got lost. And them one at a time you see yours, but your not completely calm until you have all of your luggage! Hurray. None of my luggage got lost!

The rest of my day consisted of Craig treating me to lunch, and then sleeping for 5 hours. Having a delicious dinner that Anna and Craig made. Then Anna and I adventured out to Downtown Frankfurt where Anna taught me how to navigate the trains.

9.23.09
Today was a me day. I woke up, took a much needed shower. Studied Germany a little bit. Played around the internet. Figured out I can't watch tv shows or listen to Pandora from Germany. Apparantly you can only stream those things from the United States.

Then I went out on my own! I walked to the train station which is about 3 blocks from here. Got on the train, got off at Hauptwache and got out. I then walked between the Hauptwache and Konstablerwache train stations. It's a big pedestrian/shopping mall place. Kinda reminded me of 3rd street promanade in Santa Monica, complete with street entertainers, side walk artists and lucky for me, today was a farmer's market. I was going to try something, but had NO idea what was what, and haven't come out of my shell enough to feel comfortable asking if people speak English.

I then got on the train going the wrong direction, quickly got off and headed in the right direction. That really is the hardest part for me with navigating the trains. I'll get there, but am not there yet. Hopefully I'll do better tomorrow as I completely got lost at the big main train station...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I get to the main transtation: Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, which literally means trainstation. Went to "Bahn" The train service place, bout myself a ticket to go to Aalborg to meet up with Freddie, which I'm very excited about. I got a REALLY good deal on it too, which is always nice. I only got a 1 way because I'm not sure yet if I'm gonna get to go visit Inga and Finn. Or when I'm even gonna leave Freddie. I leave next Thursday and it's a night train, I get a bunk or something like that. I'll be an adventure...12 hours.

I then got lost. I could not figure out which platform or which side of the plateform, yata yata. but I was determined to figure it out on my own. Not just because I was too embarresed to ask someone, but I wanted to know I was capable of doing it on my own. But alas, I guess I stood in front of a map for too long and nice man, in his very broken English helped me figure out where I wanted to go and how to get there, and success, I made it. It was a great adventure, but I am definitly tired tonight.

After dinner I went with Anna and her neighbors to a R.S. get together where we made Christmas cards and bracelets and other various crafts. Met a lot of nice people.

And I have to appolagize ahead of time. I get slightly bored sometimes reading long posts. So sorry. Apparantly I got my mom's writing gene : )

Upcoming plans:
Tomorrow- adventure out again
Saturday- France with Anna and Craig
Wednesday- Going to temple with youth and Anna
Thursday- Leave for Denmark

Stay tune for more!

IT CAME!!!

2009-09-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah!
My Passport is here! phew! One less stresser I don't need! My room is coming along....ok not really. Everytime someone asks me if I'm ready to go, I have to chuckle a little before I reply, NO! My room is mostly packed up, but I haven't even begun to start packing for my trip yet!

I took a nap today and as I laid there, I got a rejuvinating plan to get out of bed and WORK! Stop wasting time, and get to it.

I have a "To Do" app on my phone, and it tells how many things you still need to do... the current count..13! AGG. So here I am writing a blog instead haha. But I did start my laundry. For the next 3 days, I will be wearing my ugliest clothes and packing my cutest... wish me luck as I pack, that I won't forget socks, underwear, camera, any other devestating things!

Alright...I'm getting to it!

What my room has looked like the past week

Currently Fasinated by...

2008-11-09T23:56:00.000-08:00

Michael Crawford...let me explain.

So tonight, Mom, Dad, Hans and I all watched "Hello Dolly" which I totally love that movie, but as we're watching it, mom points to the dorky Cornelius Hackle and says " That's Michael Crawford" I had NO idea!!!! so after the movie I got online to figure out how old he was in that movie and when he did Phantom. He was born in Jan of '42, same year as Barbara Streisand, and "Hello Dolly" came out in '69 and then I couldn't find a year, but Phantom became popular in the '90s, so between his 20's and 50's he became a complete opera/singing stud! In this clip you can tell that he his still that dorky character from "Hello Dolly" but his voice is just amazing! it was just fun to find that out, and see what a difference some good voice lessons can do for ya...it gives me much hope : )
Enjoy

Licensed and ready...kinda

2008-11-09T22:59:00.000-08:00

So the title says it all : )...I graduated from my program the beginning of October, then took my State board test at the end of October I passed! And now I am working full time looking for a job. My last week at the store is technically this next week, but my father has pity on me, so if I still don't have a job(which it's looking very likely that I won't) he'll still let me work, because like us all...I NEED money.

My plans you ask....GET A JOB!

and then after that hopefully start school at VC or MC in January, get AMAZING grades and transfer up to BYU woot woot, somehow become an amazing dancer and a genius and graduate in Dancing and something smart(still undecided) maybe become an RN and then I'll be able to Laser Hair removal for my whole family : )

ok, so that's not all true, but up til the RN part is true.

So for now, if anyone knows a place that will hire me, train me, and pay me really well, let me know...
THanks!

BEAUTY SCHOOL...

2008-05-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

Well- I know you're all dying to know how school is going...well, it is awesome, a little slow, but I can tell it is going to be amazing. I can already give a professional cleansing, I know how to disinfect things properly, I know all sorts of things about bacteria and what they can do to people, I know how to analyze a face to tell what skin type you have, if you have digestion problems, hormonal issues, if you drive a lot, which side you sleep on, if you pick your zits...all sorts of things. And tomorrow I learn how to give a basic facial. : ) Anywho, that's me for now.

Hallelujah!!!

2008-04-29T22:20:00.000-07:00

It Finally Happened!!! I got into the Esthetician school I was wanting to get into for the last like 8 or so. I am soooo happy about it!

Here is a quick run down, you have to get there before 8:30am, so I show up about 8:15 and when I walk in the woman tells me I am number 12, so pray that no one else shows up( THe program I am trying for only allows 14 and a 5 person waiting list) Now last time I showed up I was like number 27 or something, so #12 is a whole lot better, So then a few more girls show up, and the grand total is....15!!! so we are one girl over and we're all probably thinking, great, I'm gonna be the one girl walking out of here crying this morning,

So then they tell you about the whole program and then have the lottery, well this particuar morning, we all happened to be lucky and they stretched it so that all 15 of us could attend, so we were all very excited. So then we all registered, and I wrote out the biggest check I ever had...

I am soooo excited about this!!! YEAH! I start on May 13th and go I think through November. So I am excited, but it is going to be interesting. I am not really a girly kinda girl, I like hanging out with guys a lot better, and girls who feel the same way I do. Not to say that I don't like Make-up and getting dressed up, I've just always had better guy friends, so being surrounded by females for approximately 700 hours will be quite a change. In our orientation, the counsellor even got up and said a few words about keeping our cool, and if we have any problems with other students we should fix them in an adult/professional manner. So that will be interesing.

Sleeping in Public

2008-04-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

Sleeping in public scares me, but unavoidably we all fall asleep in public sometimes. I think it frightens me because you don't know what you are doing while you are asleep, You could look less than attractive laying there uncomfortable in a chair, you could be making noises, twitching, the list goes on.

So today because I had 4 hours in the library at school and I was tired from staying up past my bed time last night,I found a rocking chair(which I didn't know that thay had) and feet rests and tried to read for my homework, and instead I fell asleep for 2 hours!! I got woken up a few times over those 2 hours by people walking past me looking at me weird, but apparantly my lack of comprehension when I am half asleep got the better of me, so I kept sleeping.

Now in my life, I like to think when I do something embarrasing I am not the only one who does it, so I found some pictures of other people being caught in public taking a snooze.

This One is by far the best one I found-I love the open mouth ones : )
But it haunts my mind to think that someone could have a picture of me on their phone because I looked funny sleeping today, and they could be showing it to their friends saying look at this...
Ugg...

Mormon Prom

2008-03-23T22:13:00.000-07:00

So I went to mormon prom this last Friday, kinda as a last resort for my mom, and I went with a friend I've known for a long time, Chad Harrison, I had a really good time, and was reminded how much I like to dance and just have a good time with good friends, Chad was an excellent date, always making sure I was taken care of and what not, and we were with some really fun people, so it was a good time, here are some fun pictures that I had, Maybe I'll add some more later, as I find them... so for now, here is what I got.

Me and Chad before we left

Dylan Younce and I, a member of our group

Random People in the Elevator

Recently Stricken With...

2008-02-25T00:20:00.001-08:00

I absolutely loved this movie, It was such a good love story/biography of Jane Austen's life. I usually do not like Ann Hateway as an actress, but I think she does a farely good job in this movie, and I have absolutely fallen in love with James McAvoy, and can't wait to see him in Penelope. It's just a feel good movie that if you are like me or my friend Stephanie, you will be crying half way through the movie. This is definitly one I want to own, and one I can watch over and over again, picking up new things every time I watch it. I highly recommend it if you like Pride and Prejudice. It is an amazing movie. 5 Stars.

Dance Fever

2008-02-18T11:23:00.000-08:00

So for the last few days I have been on a total dance craze. Ever since I got taken off my dance team, the saying "you don't know what your missing until it's gone" has totally come true for me, I have been craving dance sooooo much lately, and sadly there really is no one for me to dance with. So for now, I have been living through the lives of professional dancers, which in return, makes me miss the sport that much more. I have been staying up until late hours of the night watching dance videos on youtube. Here are a few of my favorite's that I have found for all to enjoy.

Max Kozhevnikov & Yulia Zagoruychenko-Showdance(I have fallen in love with watching them-they are soooo good-Enjoy)

Also Max Kozhevnikov & Yulia Zagoruychenko-Paso/Samba

Slavik Kryklyvyy and Karina Smirnoff-Jive

ok I gotta stop, or I'll keep going forever. Hope you enjoy, and if you wanta see more dancing- make sure to tune in tonight on PBS at 8:00 here in California, so I'm not sure for other places, you'll have to check for the time) they are having America's Ballroom Challenge-Internation Latin Competition tonight. : ) I'm so excited. You all should check it out, and if you want to see any of the previous nights-ie. standard, smooth, rhythm. Just let me know- I taped them all : )

A Day Full of Firsts

2008-02-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

So today I had a day full of firsts.

1) I voted for the first time!! woo-hoo. I felt pretty confident. I just walked in knowing about all the propositions and who I was voting for, and as soon as I walked in the nice old people who volunteer could tell I was a new-bee. Am I really that obvious? But they were really nice and I got a chocolate for it being my first time.

2)Second First was way scarier than voting. I interviewed for a job- that's right I actually did it. For anyway one that knows me, which is probably everyone reading this blog, I have worked at my dad's store since I was a little girl starting at $0.50 an hour. I have never had to go look for a new job and the idea has always freaked me out. I have a great boss who works with my schedule very nicely- and even though I don't get paid very much- having that has always been more important to me- it's very comfortable- like my second home. I've never filled out an application or a w-2 form, or anything of the sort- so needless to say at the age of 18 I was freaked out and very nervous to go into my interview today- For everyone scratching their heads wondering why-if my job now is so great why leave it.

well just recently I got...well since I can't find a fluffed up word for it- kicked off my dance team- so I am now determined to not let that stop me from reaching my goal of going to BYU to do dance- so I applied to Arthur Murray Studios in Thousand Oaks at the prospects of getting dance lessons- I am very hopeful, nervous, but hopeful. It would be so awesome- but anyway. So today I did all those things I've never done before- including making a resume. so YEAH for me- and please everyone keep me in their prayers that I get the job! thanks for reading this extensive explanation. But I can't help but be proud of myself for conqouring some BIG firsts.

Jumping on the Band Wagon

2008-02-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

Well I don't have much to say, except I have jumped on the Band Wagon and the wide world of Bloggs. I decided- what the heck, I might as well.

My about me basically says it all, but I am an aspiring Make-up artist, and find out if I get into school in April, so for now, to keep progressing in my life, and to pass the time I go to school at Ventura College. I am enjoying learning. I also work and Lassen's Health Food- I recommend it to anyone that cares about their health and wants friendly people to talk with. I enjoy dancing and have recently found myself struggling to find a way to continue progressing in this aspect.

I am also enjoying a kickboxing class at V.C. Anyone looking for a good workout and way to make yourself feel tougher than you really are- I highly recommend aerobic kickboxing. I am also enjoying Spanish class with Haans- "Como talli vous, I mean, ug...como estas?" : ) it's a ton of fun. Well that's where my life is right now- and just as a disclaimer- I am not the most clever writer as Steffen or Cristin- But I hope you might enjoy my small contribution in this wide world of Bloggs.